1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to spread-spectrum communication and, more particularly, to a communication system using multiple communication modes over multiple frequency bands.
2. Description of Related Art
Cellular telephony has been well known for many years, but with its growing popularity, more channels in the allocated cellular frequencies have become necessary. Among the proposed advances in the art have been a move from frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems using narrowband analog communication to digital voice communication using traditional narrowband FDMA techniques possibly coupled with time division multiple access (TDMA) techniques. Further proposed advances include the use of code division multiple access (CDMA) techniques such as spread spectrum systems. Examples of communication protocols include IS-45, IS-95, DCS1900 (otherwise known as GSM), DECT (Digital European Cordless Telephone), and AMPS.
Another approach to the problem of allowing increased numbers of users in a geographic location is the concept of personal communications systems, or PCN""s,, which utilize microcells. A microcell is similar to a cell in a traditional cellular system, except much smaller. Where a traditional cell may cover an area of several square miles, a microcell may only be a few hundred feet in diameter. By limiting transmit power, more microcells, and thus more users, may be co-located in a geographic area.
Prior art does not teach a method for operation of a single telephone which has the ability to function both as a narrowband frequency, time, and/or code division multiplexed cellular phone, as well as a microcellular telephone utilizing time, frequency, or code division multiplexing, where the cellular and microcellular functions either share the same frequency bands of operation or are offset from each other. Nor does the prior art teach such a system where the microcellular mode may employ a paging unit independent of the unit""s telephone functionality.
For purposes of the present specification, xe2x80x9canalog voicexe2x80x9d is described as a system where an analog voice system directly modulates a radio frequency (RF) carrier or intermediate frequency (IF) signal, and digital voice is described as a system where the signal is first digitized, and possibly compressed through any number of methods common and well known in the art, and whose digital signal is then used for RF carrier or IF modulation. A narrow band modulation typically uses amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM), and has a bandwidth between 3 kHz and 30 kHz.
In spread-spectrum communication, the spread-spectrum signal which is generated and transmitted has a spreading bandwidth which exceeds the bandwidth of the data stream. When using spread-spectrum techniques for wireless communication, it may be necessary to avoid or minimize interference with other users of the electromagnetic spectrum. Some examples of such other users are microwave communication users (such as the Operational Fixed Services (xe2x80x9cOFSxe2x80x9d) using microwave communication towers) and cellular communication users (such as those using cellular telephones). In particular, OFS services are critical to controlling, among other things, the nation""s electric power grid, which makes the possibility of inadvertent OFS disruption extremely serious. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to avoid or minimize interference with microwave and cellular communication users.
In wireless communication, the transmitted signal may be subject to various forms of frequency-selective fading, which may cause the signal to fade or drop out over a localized range of frequencies. Although spread-spectrum signals are distributed over a wider range of frequencies than narrowband signals, they may also be subject to frequency-selective fading, over a portion of their spreading bandwidth. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to mitigate the. effect of frequency-selective fading.
Spread-spectrum modulation in more than one frequency band can be difficult due to the wide separation between frequency bands. For example, operation in the 900 megahertz and 1800 megahertz bands could require a synthesizer capable of covering approximately 1,000 megahertz in frequency spectrum. However, in hand-held equipment such as telephones, it is undesirable to use more than one synthesizer, or even more ""than one oscillator, due to increased cost, weight, and related considerations. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a spread-spectrum system in which a single, relatively narrow, synthesizer would serve more than one operating frequency band.
The invention provides in one aspect a transmitter and receiver capable of operating in a plurality of frequency bands and/or in a plurality of modes, making use of either narrowband or spread-spectrum communication techniques. The invention may be embodied as a cellular or cordless telephone which utilizes frequency division multiplexing, time division multiplexing, code division multiplexing, or various combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the invention possesses both cellular and microcellular functionality, wherein transmission and/or reception may occur using either narrowband or spread-spectrum signals in conjunction with either FDMA, TDMA, or CDMA techniques, or any combination thereof. A system in accordance with the present invention may have two or more modes, such as a cellular mode and a microcellular mode, or such as a spreadspectrum mode and a narrowband mode, and the various modes may occupy common frequency bands, overlapping frequency bands, or distinct, offset frequency bands.
Another aspect of the invention provides a technique for spread-spectrum communication which reduces interference from microwave and cellular communication users, especially when transmitting in a communication band generally used by those users. In particular, said embodiment provides a spread-spectrum technique having a spreading bandwidth of about 10 MHz or less, in combination with a known center frequency. The known center frequency may be within a microwave communication band or a cellular communication band.
Another aspect of the invention provides a technique for spread-spectrum communication which uses more than one frequency band, particularly unlicensed frequency bands, including the 902-928 MHz, 1850-1990 MHz, and 2.4-2.4835 GHz frequency bands, and including the 1910-1930 MHz frequency band or other future unlicensed frequency bands. In said embodiment, the frequency band onto which spread-spectrum signals are encoded may be changed upon a change in environment or other control trigger, such as establishment or de-establishment of communication with a private access network.
The invention may be embodied as a transmitter generally comprising a switch, a tunable-frequency synthesizer, one or more modulators, a dual-band power amplifier (where the dual modes occupy distinct frequency bands) or a single-band power amplifier (where the dual modes occupy single, contiguous, or closely placed distinct bands), and an adjustable bandpass filter. The switch may be used to select either narrowband or spread-spectrum modulation, or may be used to select one of a plurality of frequency bands for transmission. If narrowband mode is selected, a narrowband modulator modulates an input signal, combines it with a carrier frequency generated by the tunable frequency synthesizer, and provides an output to the power amplifier and the adjustable bandpass filter for transmission. If spread-spectrum mode is selected, the input signal is provided to a spread-spectrum modulator for generating a spread-spectrum signal. The spread-spectrum signal is combined with a carrier frequency generated by the tunable frequency synthesizer and provided to the power amplifier and the adjustable bandpass filter for transmission. The adjustable bandpass filter may be tuned, and the power amplifier switched, where distinct, offset frequencies are employed for the two operating modes.
The invention may also be embodied as a receiver generally comprising a switch, a tunable-frequency synthesizer, a tunable bandpass filter, a preamplifier, a frequency converter, an IF amplifier, and one or more demodulators. The receiver generally operates in reverse fashion from the transmitter, whereby the mode select switch is used to select between narrowband or spread-spectrum reception. If in narrowband mode, the adjustable bandpass filter may be adjusted to a narrow bandwidth for passing a received narrowband signal, while in a spread-spectrum mode the adjustable bandpass filter may be adjusted to a wide bandwidth for passing a received spreadspectrum signal. The bandpass filter also is tunable, where different frequencies are utilized for distinct modes, and the preamplifier may also be switch selected or tuned to the appropriate band where the dual modes employ distinct, separated frequency band. The received signal is converted to an IF signal using a local oscillator signal from the tunable-frequency synthesizer, and the IF signal is demodulated by either the spread-spectrum demodulator or the narrowband demodulator depending on the chosen mode.
The invention further provides in another aspect a dual-band spread-spectrum modulator which uses a single, relatively narrow, synthesizer to serve two operating frequency bands. In the lower frequency band, the synthesizer may operate in a high-side injection mode, while in the higher frequency range, the synthesizer may operate in a low-side injection mode. In one embodiment, the lower frequency range may comprise about 1850 to 1990 megahertz, while the higher frequency range may comprise about 2400 to 2483.5 megahertz.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and may be obvious from the description or learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention also may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.